Fresh Kicks 68: Black Girl / White Girl

Amsterdam-based duo Black Girl / White Girl have been breaking new ground with their refreshing take on tech-house for the past couple of years – With a brand new EP out on Green Velvet's Relief label and no signs of slowing down any time soon, we caught up with Ty and Karin as they delivered a eminently groove-laced mix for our Fresh Kicks series...

Amsterdam based DJ/production duo Black Girl / White Girl have been winning huge props of late for the innovative, refreshing take on tech-house. Their consistently excellent tracks have been released on labels like Green Velvet’s Relief, Resonance, Hector Couto’s Roush, New Violence and Lapsus. Justifiably then, support for their releases has come from heavy hitting names from Nicole Moudaber and Seth Troxler to Pan-Pot and Latmun.

With a massive 2017 under their belt, the first half of 2018 has proven just as momentou and they are showing no signs of slowing even slightly. Having featured in our April UK Mag’s Cheeky Bubblers feature, and with a brand new EP – ‘Space Cookies’ – having just landed on Relief, it felt like the right time to catch up with the pair – real names Ty and Karin – to see what’s been going on...

“2018 couldn’t treat us any better,” they say. “Our Relief EP “Space Cookies” has finally come out after a long wait and the response has been quite overwhelming. We’ve had plays on BBC Radio 1, great DJ support from Green Velvet, Jamie Jones, Detlef, Latmun, Wade, and more. And to top all of that, it has also gotten us our first Beatport Top 10! We feel really blessed and thankful to have gotten an opportunity to be part of the Relief/Cajual family.”

Given the release date of the new EP (20th April) and its title… we’d be remiss not to ask whether the theme and intent of the EP was a little bit more on the “spacey” side of things.

“We wanted to focus on a weird, trippy vibe,” they agree. “In general, our music already tends to be a bit weirder than your typical house/tech house tunes, so we really tried to push the envelope a bit more on these. Each track has its own feel to it. It was really important for us to show a different side of us with ‘Loopholez’, which is a full-on dancefloor bomb. Then, ‘Rumble Rubber’ is a bit more laid back but fully delivers on the eerie, tripped out vibes. For the final track ‘Tapped Out’, we just wanted to go for a ridiculously catchy Circoloco vibe with tonnes of groove and good hooks.”

We thought so. So, what plans have Black Girl / White Girl coming up for the summer ahead?

“We’re definitely working on something,” they say “Make sure you keep an eye on our socials to see it all go down…”

Until then, we have a brand new mix from the pair running below as part of our Fresh Kicks series. We also threw a few questions their way to find out what’s been making them tick.

Last album you listened to in full?

“Backstreet Boys - Millennium”

Last film you watched?

“Ooh, probably some horror movie! We have a huge list, but it was probably... Insidious 4: The Last Key. Not super scary, but it definitely had its moments.”

Last DJ that blew your mind?

“The Black Madonna & Honey Dijon, always and forever.”

Favourite track of the year so far?

“Black Girl / White Girl ‘Loopholez’ - it’s really taken on a life of its own and we couldn’t be happier with the response. It’s one that we’re never going to grow tired of playing or hearing – but ask us again in a few years.”

Favourite producer?

“Tennan. He’s a really great dude and a very talented and unique producer.”

Favourite place you've played?

“Wow, that’s a great question. VIBE Club in Brno was definitely one of the best so far... or The Spot in Manchester

What record is top of your wishlist?

“‘Blah Blah Blah’ by Kevin Knapp - both the original and the Jamie Jones & Detlef remix. We 100% feel this track is our true spirit animal.”

What's your proudest moment as DJs/producers so far?

“Signing to Relief - it’s been a longtime dream and our greatest achievement to date. We really connect to the music they put out, and Green Velvet is just an inspirational artist. So it’s definitely the #1 proudest moment for us.”

Tell us a joke…

“What is small, has three legs, but when you multiply it by four, it’s a piano… A PIANO!!! :(“